Welcome to Random Thoughts with Sara! In this episode, we're delving into the idea of embracing your unique journey without feeling pressured to fit into a narrow niche. Sara opens up about her own journey of self-doubt and questioning her diverse interests, eventually realizing they all contribute to her personal niche.
Join us as we explore why muting outside voices, seeking diverse inspiration, and trusting your instincts are essential steps toward cultivating a fulfilling path that's authentically yours. Discover how making small shifts can lead to genuine success and excitement. Let's celebrate the joy of embracing every layer that makes you uniquely you!
Welcome to Random Thoughts with Sara! In this episode, we're delving into the idea of embracing your unique journey without feeling pressured to fit into a narrow niche. Sara opens up about her own journey of self-doubt and questioning her diverse interests, eventually realizing they all contribute to her personal niche.
Join us as we explore why muting outside voices, seeking diverse inspiration, and trusting your instincts are essential steps toward cultivating a fulfilling path that's authentically yours. Discover how making small shifts can lead to genuine success and excitement. Let's celebrate the joy of embracing every layer that makes you uniquely you!
Welcome to random thoughts with Sarah. I am so excited that you're here. This is a podcast where I share all my random thoughts, the ideas that I'm processing. And the books and people and inspiration that sparked them. It's like having a cozy little chat with a friend, but everything that makes up our lives season to season. So grab your favorite train, get comfy, and let's explore these random thoughts together. And today's episode. I want to explore the idea of niche. We're often sold this notion that we need a niche down, but for me, I promise you, it has stalled me for so many years. It has doled so much of my creativity infuse. Um, like loads and loads of unnecessary doubt, and it's kept me stuck for way too long. Let's dive in to why the pressure to have a niche might not always be the best advice and how embracing a new perspective can. Actually fuel our creativity and grow. Us in wild ways. Do you ever hear a statement that literally stopped you in your tracks? These are those types of moments that I believe God is just trying to get my attention. Last week. I had one of these moments. I heard this quote. The niche is you. Let that sink in for a minute. For me, I had to grab all of my notebooks and go and process this idea because for so long, I had been looking for my niche. Um, I have stylists of this sort of product. Am I this, how do I present myself? Okay, Sarah, you can't have all the things you can't be interested in. All the things pick one thing. How can you present yourself to the world? How can you. Defend or prove your value. Wow. Literally all the things we're going round and round and round in my head. And I had to let all of the things come out because I felt like I had been conditioned to believe something that was a lie. Instead of embracing who I was and all the layers that made me who I am. Like, let's just pause for a second. When you hear that, how does that make you feel? Does that make you excited? Does that make you feel like, yeah. Duh of course. Some people that is how they approach the world. They've ripped, recognize that they've realized that that's been their journey. That has not been my journey. People. Friends that has not been my journey. Um, and I want to walk you through this today. Just like kind of how my thoughts are around this. Please take time to just like, Feel all the feels, let all the things bubble up. Sometimes you might hear a voice of like, when I first heard this, it was like, yeah. Okay. Well, I mean, is your Ameesh. Valuable. Will people understand your niche? And then once I literally leaned into this, I was like, whoa, actually my niche, me being me is gold because I see it and I can create something that no one else can.. That is the magic. And so I want to walk through just like some of my ideas on it. To be honest. My first thought is, oh my goodness. At panic, how much time have I wasted? Second thought pure freedom. It feels so delightful to lean into this. Okay. My thoughts on a niche and if the niche is you, what does that look like? Think about all the layers of who you are, the projects that you've worked on, the places you lived or visited. How you see the world, your unique ideas. Preferences, the books you've read the art. You've seen the nature you've experienced. All of these things make up your niche because the combination of all these things, no one else has. So if someone is creating the exact same thing, you are like a piece of art on a canvas. Or a dress or styling a bookshelf, whatever it is. It's going to be different if you actually are leaning into your preferences and your ideas, rather than trying to mimic or. Create something that you've seen externally that you think. Would make a great niche, imagine tuning into what we already have. Who we are right now and what genuinely interests us, what genuinely inspires us. What we want to make or create, instead of trying to be something we're not, or chasing the external qualifications to be considered, to be the expert in the work that we do or whatever that means. To us, you know, I mean, We all have something that we want to do for work and that we're kind of drawn to. And then we also see examples of that typically. I mean, one of the reasons I want to start this podcast was. Some of the people that I see doing things. It feels. I don't know how to say it. I felt like in the past, maybe I needed to become or do something different to get there. But now I'm realizing like my journey is my journey and it's beautiful and I can do that and I don't have to have had those qualifications or done it that way. I actually can do it in my own way and still do that work. To me, this feels like pure freedom. Looking at other people's stories. I can see the layers that have compounded into and collected into this beautiful, unique. Story of a creative or an artist. Like for example, my husband, I've got enough first row. Look at how he has become who he is. He started being interested in. Moving to California. So he starts a cactus company. He learns how to design his own website. You know, he moves out to California that doesn't pan out. And so now he has the skill of designing. And so he. Offers that as a service to someone and he charges 200 bucks and then he finds someone that needs them. And we'll pay him$500 for multiple sites. So now he's doing one after another, and then he puts himself out there and tries a bigger site. You know, and land's a big site. Now he knows how to do that. So anytime he has a business idea, he knows how to brand himself and put himself out into the world. And we've started so many businesses that way. Then he niched down and decided he wanted to work on software screens and he has. Loved that he's had so many different iterations, but it started with just his taste and design and learning skills and building all these things. He knew that I would take time to build something and he was up for the adventure. Years ago when we first got married, he read a book by Robert Rodriguez rebel without a cause. Years ago, Sean read a book. Rebel without a crew by Robert Rodriguez. And in the book, he talks about putting out your 13 bad movies. And when we first read that Sean really took it to heart. He said, okay, there's going to be work. I put out into the world that isn't great, but that's okay, I'm going to do it. And I'm going to get through it so that I can get to the stuff I'm a really proud of and excited for. And so he was not scared to put himself out there to learn a new skill, to do those things. And I love that because like, when you start your first movie per se or your first project, we don't know what that's gonna look like. We literally don't even know if we're going to be good at it. If we're going to enjoy it, if we're going to like it, but feeling the fear and doing it anyway, which is a side note, another book I'm obsessed with feel the fear and do it anyway. If we do that, there's so much goodness, on the other side, because we become, we change, we add our skillset, we figure out things, we figured out where to source something or. We figured out color palettes and these are the things. That make you so unique. These are the things, the experiences and the trial and the air and the failing added together collected makes you so unique. So, what does that look like now for me and for you to practice? Reminding ourselves that we are the niche. From creating from an intention of confidence and excited energy and freedom. What does that look like? There's a few things. I was thinking one meeting outside voices, the voices that make you want to play small. To seek permission or to feel like. You have to be in approving energy. You could feel that shift when you're around that kind of energy, where it's like they don't want to celebrate you or they want you to prove. All the things before you even start or to prove your worth to them, that is like, Icky to me and I am not interested in that anymore. I want to be around people and voices that just encouraged me to be a beginner to try. They see value in me already outside of anything that I do or create. They see the things and call them out of me. They'll say, Hey, you do this. That means something I'm glad you show up in the world. I'm like gonna cry. These are like the most precious voices that we have. It is so precious to think that words can be used to build people up or tear people down. And, you know, we are only in control of ourselves. And so we get to choose what voices we want around us. And when we are stepping into a creative space, Or our life living our life in general, it is so important to. Have those boundaries too. Hold space for yourself. To figure it out, to step into it, to enjoy it, to not have to be in a proving energy. I know I've mentioned this before, but I am very uninterested and being around people. That. Are operating in a proving energy. That can mean two things. One. They are trying to prove something to me. So I've had creatives try to prove things to me. Like they're amazing. And they're this, you know, It's different when you're celebrating and when you're being authentically you, or when you're trying to prove something to me. And second, when you shift that and you try to put me on the spot. Or I don't want to say, make me when you shift it and you try to make me. Prove myself. Y. Am I doing this? How do I know I can do it? How many times have I done it? Who have I done it for? I mean, these are questions that people ask me sometimes in my past, especially when I was a beginner. I would get so thrown by it. It really hurt my feelings, especially when a good friend would do this. To me, it would put me in this place of like chaos in my brain of like, maybe I can't do it. I don't know if they're asking me that. Well, yeah, I guess I only did that one time. Why do I think I can do this again? Or. Have I gotten paid for that yet, or what's my pay rate or whatever it is. It's a proving energy. And so celebrating the person. I don't need to know how much someone has getting paid to do it, to celebrate them. I don't need to know how many times they've done it, who they've done it for, if they want to share those things. And you're genuinely interested for fun. Yeah, those are great questions, but if it is too. Put them in a position that they have to prove themselves to you or vice versa. Like we're all living this life. I'm going to say this. And I think this is important. We're all living this life. For the first time together. We only get one life and we're all doing it for the first time together. We're all doing it for the first time by ourselves with our own self, we are trying new things. When I became a mom, that was the first time I was a mom. I had been in the anti. I had been, as you know, I been a babysitter. I had been a helper. All the things, but not a mom yet. And that is the first time I learned it. So I was learning a new way of being. Fully myself in that role. And I guess when I think about this, just give yourself grace. I'm going to give myself grace. It's the first time I'm realizing I am my own. Meesh. I think it's funny to say, but I am, I am my own niche. And it's the first time I'm realizing it. So I'm stepping into that. And, you know, Number one muting outside voices. That are not positive and that are not supportive. Are the first thing I'm going to mute. The first thing I'm going to do. Second, I'm going to find inspiration outside of what I'm trying to create. So I had a friend Katie years ago, she told me that she follows. She's an incredible florist. She doesn't necessarily follow florists on Pinterest or on Instagram. What she does is she follows other inspirational genres, I guess you could say, or creative. Iterations So like home or European vibe-y things that inspire her. For color, for movement, all the things. If you're a photographer and maybe follow somebody, that's not a photographer. So you don't feel, you don't step into a space of comparing. Or. Trying to create sameness or feeling pressured to create same. Ms. You are literally being inspired in a beautiful way. Another thing is what layers can you add? To whatever you're doing that deals. Exciting to you personally, like what layer? So for me, on a shelf, I want to add some, my vintage fines. I want to add some dried florals. I want to add to these are things that are unique to me that I'm obsessed with, that I collect that I create that I have. So when I'm looking, when I've seen pictures, places. It doesn't always match. It's not like, oh, they're using fresh green leaves. And I'm using dried, you know, whatever. I think that it's, it's like a good. Way to kind of like encourage yourself to step into this and just keep asking, like, how can I bring value to this? How can I add some, a unique combination to this? What can I do that I'm going to bring to this? That just kind of is like, My instinct is leading me and my intuition is guiding me there, but it's like something that I find fun and interesting. Like how can you switch it up? I believe. Honestly that we inherently know what resonates with us. But oftentimes we have been so conditioned we've conditioned ourselves. We have allowed ourselves to be conditioned. To doubt. First. Then to seek validation and then only proceed if we. Receive. The perfect. Confirmation. From someone that we respect someone that. We love someone that we feel. Is, you know, has this an improving energy. We can prove ourselves in this one, whatever. Like, no, I don't want to do that anymore. I want to condition myself now. To operate in a new way of recognizing my unique worth. That it is so great. I don't have to do it like other people. It's not going to look like other people, even if we tried and it shouldn't. Like the criteria is show up fully you. That is it. That is what your niche is just showing up with. What you like, what you like for me over the last few years, I have been unlearning. I guess things I had maybe collected for awhile were through lenses of other people. What they thought was cool, what they thought was good, what they liked. And then I started realizing like, I don't really like that stuff. I don't like bright colors. I really don't. I mean, you look at my closet. I don't have anything bright. My youngest loves color and we are going to a concert and she was like, mom. This artist's like where's tons of fun, bright colors. Where are your brightest colors? I. I mean, you should've seen what I came up with. It was still neutrals, but it was my most wild prints. Um, and so that's just not me and that's okay. So it doesn't, I don't, it doesn't reflect in my styling, in my house, in my wardrobe, in my Christmas collection, in my whatever, because it's not really what I love. I like if I want to add red at Christmas, it's going to be kind of like a muted red. If I'm going to add a color at the holidays, you know, for fall, it's going to be a muted. Mustard color, you know? Um, and that's okay. Those are things I'm leaning into. What I edited out was teal. I edited it out yellow. I did out, which they're all beautiful colors, but they were not resonating with me. And so once I started checking in with myself, what do I like? What. Do I want to style with what is coming from me rather than. An external force or inspiration. What is it that I started editing those things out. I clear them out. I don't collect them anymore. all of that to say, I believe that we can condition ourselves and set ourselves up for success to move forward. To really lean into what we like. And honor that and be excited about it and celebrate it and encourage that and others and ask people that in. You know, ask people that like, I do that in homes when people come to me sometimes and they're like, I'm not sure what to do. I'm like, no, no, no, you really do. You've just been conditioned to not know so that you will look for an external. Influence that will guide you what to buy. Whether that's designers or stores or brands or whatever, we've been conditioned to not trust our own gut. And so I want to rewind that and create safe space for you. And for me, To show up and to celebrate it and to be like, oh my gosh, wait, what do you like? I had a friend and she really holds, held space for me as I was making some decisions because sometimes I think I can help other people make decisions. I'm very decisive, but for myself, not so much. And this is before I realized I'm an ish, but this was several, several months ago, I guess this was last year. And I'm. I was like, oh, I had to make this decision quick. And she Altspace. She was like, okay. Out of these, what are you like? Okay. You don't like that. She took that off the plate and then she had, she kept narrowing it down for me, but she was not putting her influence or her opinion in it. At all, she was just helping me make those decisions. And sometimes I feel like I tried to do that when people are doing their home, say, Hey, first, he got anything that you don't like, anything that was gifted, anything you bought because it was trendy or because you thought you should like it, or it looks like. It was going to spruce up your house, take those out, leave and keep what you ultimately love. And then let's build on that because you know, when you're looking at something, you know, if you want the bright color one or the neutral, you know, if you want the aged one or the one that looks perfect and crisp and kind of shiny. You know what you want. Let's start. Conditioning ourselves that we know the answer and that we are decisive and that we know what we're drawn to. We mostly know the answer right away. But something in a says, we shouldn't. Or that's kind of bold to know right away, or I don't know where these conditionings come from sometimes. Um, Because I am surrounded very, very lovely people. I think it's a society. As a whole and just the programming from brands and stores and all the things. social media, maybe a little bit of everything, but I am all about. Resetting. And I want to reset myself. I am. Fully leaning into this. Whether it is. Messy or not. I'm like enjoying it since I've heard that I have enjoyed this process of. Figuring out what I want to do next and what I am doing next, instead of saying, oh, I'm going to do that next. No, I am doing it. I already started, I already in motion. The motion has started. It has. Helped me not be paralyzed. So one of the projects I'm working on currently. Is, I am going to get my real estate license and it has been so. Fascinating because I'm not overthinking this project at all. Literally I had the thought I was inspired. Well, first of all, I had the realization that I'm my own niche. Then I had direct inspiration, hit the other night to get my real estate license. And directly after that, as I was thinking, well, it's kind of like an old idea. One I've already been a real estate agent before I had kids. And since I've thought about it a few times, And I've thought, oh, I could do it this way. Oh, I could do it that way. Oh, this could be cool. Oh, I could try this. I kept trying to make it kind of nichey and, you know, its own brand and its own. Unique spin on it. And then I've realized when I was laying in the hammock. Oh my goodness. You already make it unique because of the way you approach life and spaces. And. The styling. Part of me and the gathering part of me and experiential part of me. Already that I'm bringing my own unique spin. I don't have to make it different. That has been such an interesting approach for me this last week. Because I'm no longer paralyzed trying to think, how can I make this different, how. It already is going to be different already. People that are going to be drawn to me because of these unique things, or they're not either way. It's okay. If they want to work with me, I'm they like. You know, my perspective and my style and my vibe. Totally are going to be attracted to me. And if not, that is okay. And I feel so good about it. So anyway, Let's just wrap this up because I could talk for hours. These are random thoughts, and this is a conversation. So if you'd like to consider this conversation, Give me a call. DME reach out. I am so fascinated by this idea of just settling into my own cells and resetting the way I think about myself and my creative journey and all the things. So anyway, you are the niche niche. Whatever, however you say that word. I probably intertwined those words multiple times. So I'm not exactly sure which one it is sometimes when I feel like I'm on point, I'm saying meesh, but it could be niche. So either way. I hope that this has sparked something in you. If you just want me to go all in and tell you all the things that I see in your niche, because of who you are. I will, I have friends that are so. Freaking talented and so creative and so good. It's so many things. Like I want them to see that value and I want them to put that out into the world. So everybody gets to see it and w bear witness to this beautiful, delightful. Creative art that they create. I mean, seriously, like I have multiple friends that are photographers and the way each one sees the world and approaches storytelling or. Artistic. expression. Oh, it's so good. I love it so much. Oh, my goodness and how they make people feel comfortable behind the camera and how they are coaching people to take the pictures or to just do what they do. And they're going to kind of capture and storytell all the things it's so cool to see. And. There's so many things. I feel like that make you who you are that I see. I'm a sear. And so I see these layers and I find them so valuable, so interesting. So dynamic and like pure gold they're magic. And so I'm so excited to start enjoying those things about myself. But also, I love celebrating those things about you. And so let's connect, let's talk. Thank you so much for being here. As I discussed this random thought today, and I really look forward to sharing some more.